The Delta Fair Art Competition is a time where aspiring artists put their skills to the test to produce a piece that they hope will blow judges away. Winners not only garner recognition for their talent and hard work but also earn cash prizes. Seven of White Station’s own reaped the benefits of their exemplary craftsmanship, winning awards including “Best Overall Student Art K-12” and “Best of Show H.S. Division.”
“So, we had to do summer work for AP Art, and so I was just looking for ideas, because I really couldn’t think of anything, and I wanted to get started as soon as possible,” Jaslyn Macon (9), winner of the “Best of Show H.S. Division” award, said. “So then I saw a colored pencil drawing of, like, a girl drawing flowers on herself, and I thought it was really pretty. So then I went outside, and I took a few pictures of me just doodling on my arm.”
Despite initial uncertainty about what to use as a reference for her AP art assignment and Delta Fair Art Competition submission, Macon eventually found her reference and began the development of her now award-winning piece. She intended the flora blooming around the subject to be a symbol of love and imagination. More personally, Macon’s love for art and creativity fertilizes the surrounding blooms in the self-portrait, but she emphasizes that these blossoms occur whenever we engage in an activity we love. It doesn’t have to be a significant act like creating an acclaimed piece of art. If it’s something we enjoy, invisible flowers of love will still sprout around us.
“The drawing was black and white, but the flowers around me were supposed to [be] imagination,” Macon said. “They’re not part of reality, I guess. Or you can’t really see if you’re just looking through black and white colored lenses, in a way.”
Macon’s affinity for floral motifs extends beyond this specific piece, as she previously incorporated flowers in a self-portrait of herself as a baby. Upon noticing her curious expression, she interpreted the blossoms around her as the growing blooms of curiosity. Coincidentally, she wasn’t the only winner in the Delta Fair Art Competition with an appreciation for flowers.
“So one main reason for this piece, like, the overall values were, to show childhood-like values, carefreeness.” Anson Yan (11), recipient of the “Best Overall Student Art K-12” award, said.“So I thought dandelions were a really great way because for me blowing dandelions into the wind was always a fun thing to do, and it was a great way to relieve stress… So having a cigarette was a more mature way of portraying carefreeness, since sometimes smoking is a way to relieve yourself when you’re dealing with too much, so that’s pretty much the general idea.”
Portraying the comparison between relieving stress as a child and as an adult , Yan’s portrait centers on the more mature method of relaxation with tobacco but also pays homage to childlike tranquility with the inclusion of the dandelions sprouting from the pipe. The inclusion of dandelions in particular recalled Yan’s own childhood.
“I mean, I’ve always been fond of dandelions,” said Yan. “My fondness for dandelions started in elementary school when I attended this one summer camp and my group was called the Dandelions.”
Despite Yan’s notable placement in the competition, he initially felt uncertain about his submission. When working with subjective material such as art, it can be difficult to gauge how well pieces will perform when placed in front of judges. They may appeal to the tastes of one assessor, but another may easily end up chewing it up and spitting it out.
“This is my first time placing a piece into the Delta Fair, so [it’s]I guess a 50-50 [chance], because I really didn’t know what the judges[‘s] thinking is…” Yan said. ”Every art competition, there’s different judges, and…their expertise lies in different things, so you really don’t know which piece [will] win, which piece [won’t] win. And sometimes one piece would win at a different competition, but in this specific competition, it wouldn’t win anything. So it was really a gamble.”
Yan encourages those interested to put themselves out there and share their unique interpretations and viewpoints with the world, as they may fare better than their preconceived weeds of self-doubt tell them. Any piece can be an inspiration; all it takes is the courage to put it in front of an audience.
“I would say [there’s] a few dozen, maybe a hundred different categories,” Yan said. “So seeing different people’s perspectives and their ideas in creating stuff really inspired me. The competition is free, and the rates are almost zero. You’re almost guaranteed to win something. So have fun, I would say.”
While the gleam of Yan’s and Macon’s victory may hinder runner-ups’ artistic vision and push them from their trajectory out of discouragement, it’s crucial for artists not to wilt from pressure and fear of failure but to absorb criticism and get experience so that they can shoot up towards the stars.
“One thing I would say is…this may sound common…but don’t ever give up,” Yan said. “You can always find time for art. One can’t be bad at creating art…they just haven’t found their destined media…we are all creative in our own ways.”